


Sideshow

by blakefancier



Series: Young Lovers [23]
Category: Captain America (2011)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-31
Updated: 2012-07-31
Packaged: 2017-11-11 02:46:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/473627
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blakefancier/pseuds/blakefancier
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve gets some bad news, tries something new, and gives out hugs like candy. Meanwhile, Howard almost has a nervous breakdown, Tony is a rock star, and Maria doesn't show her tits.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sideshow

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know why my brain won't let me write For Your Entertainment or Blot Out the Sun. I just... *sighs* I'm off on a business trip tomorrow, so I won't be able to write until Thursday. But I'm going to bang out a story or part for one of the two then. I am adamant!
> 
> GIVE ME LOVE! *criz* Or at least pity me. 
> 
> *grins*

Steve sat in front of Nick's desk, body tense, arms crossed over his chest, feeling uncomfortable in the suit he was wearing. "I don't believe it." 

Nick sighed and ran a hand over his head. "I don't like it any more than you do, kid. But the fact remains that Stane is clean. Not even a parking ticket."

"Too clean?" Steve asked hopefully. There had to be *something*.

"No." Nick leaned back in his chair and stared at Steve. "I don’t like him either. He smiles too much. But just because we don't like him doesn't mean he's up to something." 

"Can you just keep looking, Nick? Please?" 

"There's nowhere else to look." Nick tipped his head back and stared up at the ceiling. After a moment, he looked at Steve. "We'll keep an eye out. That's the best I can do."

It wasn't enough, but Steve knew better than to push his luck. He nodded instead; he didn't think Nick was fooled.

"So what's with the monkey suit so early in the morning?" Nick gestured at him. 

Steve raised an eyebrow because he knew that Nick knew why. "It's my professional attire. Tomorrow's opening night of Stark Expo and Howard wants us to do a dress rehearsal." He looked at his watch. "Speaking of which, I should go. I'm gonna be late as it is. Howard said he was dragging Tony to the main pavilion about six."

"You need a ride?"

Steve shook his head and got to his feet. "Naw, I'm good." He tilted his head. "You're coming tomorrow, right?'

Nick grinned. "Why? You gonna miss me if I'm not there?"

"You're Howard's friend and this is a big deal." He shrugged. "You guys should hang out more. Go to lunch or something."

Nick raised an eyebrow. "Are you trying to set up a play date between me and your boyfriend, Rogers?"

"You could probably use more friends, too, Nick." Steve smiled. "I bet you spend all your time in the office." 

"Get out of here!" Nick pointed to the door.

Steve saluted. "Sir, yes, sir!" 

*****

After being patted down and virtually strip-searched at the gate, Steve was escorted by a security guard to the main pavilion of the Stark Expo grounds. He could hear Tony and Howard going at it as soon as he entered the building.

"I'm not doing this again," Tony yelled at the top of his lungs. "We're been here since six o'clock, Dad. I'm done!"

"No, you're not! Now get back on your damn mark and take this seriously!" Howard gestured to the floor. "Move!"

Steve walked quickly down the aisle to the stage; Tony looked about ready to bolt and Howard's hands were clenched. Poor Annie just looked tired and exasperated. "Hey, everyone." He climbed the stairs to the stage and smiled.

"Steve!" Tony rushed to his side and whispered frantically. "I'm going to commit patricide if you don't do something right now."

Howard took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

It was definitely a tense situation. Steve gently pushed Tony away and walked up to Howard. "Hello, Mr. Stark."

"Steve." Howard's voice was rough and it was obvious to Steve that he was nervous and stressed.

He turned to look at the auditorium, the stage lights making him wince. "It's hot up here." He shrugged out of his jacket and loosened his tie enough to pull it off and stick it in his pocket. "Kind of… intimidating."

"It'll be a big crowd tomorrow," Howard said. "The largest I've ever addressed." 

Steve looked at Howard and smiled. "You'll be great, Mr. Stark. I know you will."

"Yeah?" Howard sounded unsure.

"Yeah." He reached over and straightened Howard's tie. "You've been at this for four hours. Why don't we send someone for food? I'm st—um, I'm hungry." 

"I don’t know. I…" Howard let out a startled gasp when Steve covered his mouth.

He took a step closer to Howard and said softly, "You know this. *Tony* knows this. Relax, Howard. Have fun." 

Howard pulled Steve's hand away and gave him a look of warning. "Okay, let's take a half hour break. Annie, take a car, get us something to eat." 

"Yes, Mr. Stark." She caught the keys Howard tossed her way.

Tony bounced on the balls of his feet. "I'll go with you!"

"All right." She smiled at him, then blushed when he offered her his arm.

Howard let out a soft groan. "How long has that been going on?"

Steve shrugged and watched them head towards the exit. "Since they met. She's a nice girl."

"He should leave her alone." Howard rolled his shoulders back and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Why?" Steve frowned; Howard never seemed to care who Tony dated as long as he was careful.

"She's too old for him." Howard stilled for a moment, then let out a huff of air; Steve didn’t laugh. 

"You're right," he said instead. "She's nine years older than him; how disgusting. And she's your personal assistant. Why, that would be like you dating me."

Howard crossed his arms over his chest. "Okay, you made your point." 

"Good." He turned and faced the auditorium again. Then he cleared his throat. "Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal."

"Really? The Gettysburg Address?" Howard shook his head. "So very cliché. Although, I suppose you could have recited something from Romeo and Juliet." 

"Oh, and what do you suggest? Reciting pi to the thousandth digit?" 

Howard shook his head and closed his eyes. "I crave your mouth, your voice, your hair. Silent and starving, I prowl through the streets. Bread does not nourish me, dawn disrupts me, all day I hunt for the liquid measure of your steps."

"Who said that?" Steve asked, the words making something tighten in his chest.

"Pablo Neruda. He was a poet." Howard opened his eyes. "I had a girlfriend in high school who loved him. She made me memorize his poems and recite them to her."

"They're beautiful words." Steve brushed their hands together.

Howard gave him a tiny smile, gaze lingering on Steve's face. 

After a moment, Steve had to turn away before he did something possibly blackmail worthy.

*****

By mid-afternoon Tony was done. Not that Steve could blame him; Howard was like a man possessed. The tiniest slip, the smallest mistake, and Howard would stop and make them start again from the top. It was exhausting to watch, so Steve could only imagine how Tony must have felt.

He and Annie sat in the front row, talking softly about which exhibits they wanted to check out in the coming weeks, and if either of them thought the new Starkphone would outsell the iPhone. It was a pretty interesting conversation so Steve didn’t notice right away what Tony was doing. 

Then Annie frowned and glanced at the stage. "Do you think we should take another break?"

Steve blinked and followed Annie's gaze. Howard's hair was a mess, his face was flushed, and his suit was wrinkled, and it was never wrinkled. He wasn't sure why Howard was in such bad shape, then he saw Tony miss a cue.

"Sorry," Tony said, smirking; Howard gave him a dirty look. Tony then proceeded to flub his lines, miss his cues, and even worse, ad-lib until Howard had enough and threw the microphone to the ground. The speakers squealed and everyone winced.

"Stop it," Howard said. "Stop fucking up on purpose!"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Dad." Tony crossed his arms over his chest and smiled innocently.

Howard took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "This is important, Tony. I need you to be serious." 

"I'm serious." Tony looked over at Steve and Annie. "Haven't I been serious, guys?" Tony gestured to the stage, and turned back to Howard. "I have been completely serious for eight fucking hours, Dad. And to be honest, I reached my limit about five of those hours ago."

"It's not perfect yet." Howard's voice shook and Steve could see him struggling to pull in his anger.

"It's as perfect as it's gonna get, because I'm done." Tony stood on his tiptoes and yelled, "I'm done!"

"You're fucking done when I say you're done!" Howard got in Tony's face, but Tony just looked up at him.

"What're you gonna do, Dad? Chain me to the stage?"

Howard clenched his jaw. "Go stand on your goddamn mark!"

"I'm gonna get lunch, then take a nap. You two coming with me?" Tony turned to walk away and Howard grabbed his arm. 

Steve was on his feel and halfway up the stairs to the stage before Howard spoke

"Will you just stop? For one fucking moment will you just make my life *easier*."

Tony blinked a few times. "Why would I do that?"

Howard let him go and took a few steps back. "Fine," he said, his voice cold. "Then get out. Get the fuck out. God, it shouldn't surprise me. It shouldn't surprise me that you can't handle the pressure. I always knew you were just—"

"Howard!" Steve quickly closed the distance and stood between Howard and Tony. He stared into Howard's eyes. "Don't. Just don't. Please."

Howard held his gaze for a moment, then looked away. "Fine. We're done. If we screw up tomorrow, we screw up. It's just my reputation on the line. You can go home, too, Annie. Be here bright and early tomorrow."

"Are you sure, Mr. Stark?" Annie sounded scared, as scared as Steve felt.

Howard sighed and turned away from them. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm sure."

"Can I give you a ride, Annie?" Tony asked smiling at her; he seemed unfazed by it all. 

"Um, sure." She gathered her things and waited for Tony.

"Steve?" Tony raised an eyebrow.

"You two go." Steve stuck his hands in his pockets. "I want to familiarize myself with the back rooms. But I'll see you later, Tony, at home. Um… I mean, your home. I…"

Tony rolled his eyes and took Annie's hand. "Whatever. See you later."

Steve quietly watched them leave, then moved to Howard's side and touched his back. "I'll run thorough it with you. I've got Tony's lines memorized. Yours too, I've heard them enough."

"You should have gone with them. I'm… I'm…"

"Scared." Howard tensed at that, but Steve continued, "It's okay. It's okay to be scared. Tony's scared."

"What if I make a mistake?" 

"Then you laugh it off." Steve slid his hand up to play with Howard's hair. "But you won't make a mistake. You'll be amazing."

Howard turned and looked at him. "If this fails, Steve, I'm screwed."

"It's not gonna fail. We won't let it." Steve smiled at him. "You're Howard Stark. You're made of iron." 

Howard snorted and shook his head. "God, sometimes I don't even know what to do with you."

"Oh, I've got a few ideas." Steve tilted his head and licked his lips. "But first, go stand on your mark. We'll run through it two more times, then go home. You'll need your sleep, Mr. Stark." 

*****

By the time they got home, Steve had a pounding headache and he was ready to scream. Howard was in full obsessive mode, which meant that on the way home Steve got to hear Howard's speech another half a dozen times. Howard even practiced *smiling*. There was no way Howard was going to sleep without help.

That's all right, Steve had a plan.

When they got out of the car, Steve wrapped an arm around Howard's waist and kissed him. "Go upstairs and take a long, hot shower. I'll let Mr. Jarvis know to bring up some soup in a couple of hours. I know you can't handle anything heavy the night before a speech." 

"You could join me in the shower. Help get my mind off things." Howard cupped Steve's face and licked at his mouth.

Steve shook his head. "Then things would end too quickly. And I have plans."

Howard let out a small chuckle. "Steve, I'm wiped out. I don't think I can handle one of your plans right now." 

"No, no, this will be good. I promise. You won't have to do anything. I'll do all the work." Steve gave him a peck on the mouth then stepped back. "Trust me." 

"Okay." Howard narrowed his eyes and Steve smiled at him. 

*****

After Steve finished talking with Mr. Jarvis, he went upstairs to get everything ready. He stripped out of his clothes and tossed a bottle of massage oil on the bed, along with the lube and a couple of condoms.

Steve stretched out on the bed, waiting, so that when Howard came out of the bathroom, skin flushed and damp from the shower, towel slung low on his hips, Steve was the first thing he saw. Howard looked tired, so very tired, but Steve could see the tension around his mouth that said any sort of relaxation would be a long time coming. 

Howard smiled and ran his finger through his wet hair, mussing it. "You look good enough to eat." 

"Drop the towel and come here. I'm going to give you a massage." 

"Oh?" Howard leered and did what he was told, crawling into bed and pulling Steve into a kiss. 

Steve moaned softly, running his hands down Howard's back, feeling the way Howard's muscles were tight and trembling. He rolled them over, pinning Howard back against the bed, and murmured softly. "I love you. I wanna take care of you. You gonna let me, babe?"

"Yeah," Howard whispered. "Yeah, of course." 

Steve leaned down and gently bit Howard's bottom lip. Then he sat up, straddling Howard's hips, opened the bottle of oil and poured some into his palm. He rubbed his hands together, enjoying the slick feel and wet, obscene sound. He slowly ran his hand down Howard's chest, then back up again; Howard's cock pressed firmly against his backside.

"Wouldn't it be better if I turned around?" Howard asked, his breath hitching.

"But I like this way. And I can feel you do, too." Steve cradled Howard's hand and rubbed circles into his palm. "Mmm, your lifeline is long. You're going to live forever." Steve brought Howard's hand up, licked his lifeline, then bit the meat of his thumb, pulling a gasp from him. 

"This isn't very relaxing."

"Is it supposed to be?" Steve smiled, then tipped some of the oil onto Howard's chest. "I guess I better try harder." He dragged his fingers thought the oil, drawing shiny patterns across Howard's chest, swirls and lines, spiraling circles around Howard's nipples.

Howard moaned and closed his eyes, hips rising just a bit. Steve could feel his heart pounding as he drew in gasps of breath. God, he was beautiful; Steve didn’t spend nearly enough time taking care of Howard. That was something that would have to change. Steve pressed a soft kiss to one nipple, then the other, loving the way they puckered and hardened. 

Steve shifted, moved, parting Howard's thighs and kneeling between them so he could write words across Howard's stomach: love and desire and mine. Howard's cock was so hard, leaking onto his belly and Steve's mouth watered. Steve wanted to taste, but he knew he couldn't. Instead he pressed the pad of his thumb against the base of Howard's cock and drew it upward.

Howard keened. "Steve, fuck!" 

"Hmm." Steve wrinkled his nose in thought, then lowered his head to lick Howard's balls. Howard cursed again, hips bucking. Steve just held Howard down and licked again. He'd never done this before. Why hadn't he done this before? He sucked Howard's balls, one at a time, listening as Howard groaned. He pulled away from Howard's balls with a happy sigh. What else could he do? 

Oh.

Steve smiled and gently ran his thumb along Howard's perineum. Howard stilled and Steve looked up at him. "Howard?"

Howard swallowed hard. "I should turn over for this."

"Okay." Steve sat back as Howard rolled over onto his belly, placing a pillow under his hips. Of course, now Howard was tense again. Steve parted Howard's cheeks and brushed the opening; Howard jerked.

"Don't forget to use lots of lube, Steve," Howard said, trembling.

"Okay." He kissed the small of Howard's back, once, twice, five times. "I love you." Then he stroked the opening again and Howard made a choked sound. He wondered…. He dragged his tongue over it and Howard cried out and pushed up into the movement.

"Steve," he said. "Steve you—" But Steve licked him again and the rest of what he was going to say got lost in a moan. 

Steve wanted to hear more of that. He started off with short, fast little licks interspersed with longer drags of his tongue. The sounds coming from Howard's mouth were filthy: moans, pants, and broken cries. He could feel Howard's hole loosening and he wanted… he'd read… He pushed his tongue in and Howard *sobbed*.

"God, Steve, God!" Howard writhed. "Please, that, please… Good, good, Steve! Oh, oh, God,.. I—I—Please!" 

Steve tongue-fucked Howard until he was practically crying. Who knew? Who knew this was what it took to make Howard lose control? Make him fall apart?

"Fuck me! Steve, please, f-fuck me! Fuck me, fuck me, fuck me!"

Steve pulled away, ignoring Howard's cry of protest. God, if he didn't get ahold of himself, he was gonna come, just from listening to Howard.

"Come on, baby, Come on! Fuck me!" Howard lifted his ass. "Do it! D-Do me! Please, oh, please, baby. I need your cock. I need so much. "

He snatched the lube off the bed, flipped open the cap, and poured some into his hand. He slicked his fingers and pushed two inside of Howard, too eager to be gentle. He didn't have to be gentle because Howard rocked back on them. God, Steve could do anything to Howard right now. He could do any and everything and Howard would love it.

"Steve, please. Please, I need you to fuck me. Please fuck me," Howard begged.

"You need my cock inside you, babe? You need me to make you wet with my come? You hungry for it?"

Howard made a desperate, whining sound. "Y-Yes, Yes!"

Howard would let Steve do anything, which was why he wouldn't. Steve grabbed a condom, ripped open the packet, and quickly put it on. He slid in too quickly, but oh, it was so hard not to. Howard was so tight and hot and kept making these sounds. 

"Go. Move," Howard said. "You need to… Steve… Please…" 

That was permission enough. Steve fucked Howard hard, plowing into him, enjoying Howard's half-choked moans and whimpers. When he imagined this, imagined fucking Howard, he thought it would be different, that he would be in better control of himself. But he couldn’t stop moving, couldn't stop fucking Howard long enough to kiss him and touch him, It was wild and hot and he sort of hated it.

Steve ground into Howard and bit his bottom lip; Howard cried out again, high and nasally, and clenched around him. He let out a surprised gasp, eyes widening as his orgasm crashed through him. 

He slumped against Howard's back, panting harshly. Howard was breathing hard too. "Okay?" he asked, gently rolling away onto his back. He let out a huff before taking off the condom and tossing it in the wastebasket—at least he hoped it made it in.

"Ngh." Howard turned his head towards Steve. Wow, Howard looked wrecked; face sweaty and flushed, eyelashes wet, like he'd been crying, mouth swollen. 

"So, you're kind of a slut when your hole is played with," he said, and Howard actually blushed bright red.

"Shut up." Howard's gaze slid away from Steve's.

"No, no, it was hot. It was *really* hot." He reached over and gently stroked Howard's hair. "Really. Did you come on my cock?" 

"Yeah." Howard sighed and rubbed his eyes. Then he pulled the ruined pillow out from underneath him.

"Did you like it? Because you're acting like you didn't like it." Steve tried not to fidget.

Howard stilled, then slung an arm around Steve's waist. "Steve. Of course I liked it. Hell, I loved it. I just… It… It's a bit embarrassing, that's all." 

"I liked your enthusiasm." Steve kissed Howard's nose. "Who knew the great Howard Stark was such a cock slut." 

"Thanks." Howard pinched his ass. "So how did you like it?" 

"It was good. It was… I liked watching you get all hot and bothered. But, honestly, I think I prefer it the other way around." 

"Actually, to be honest, so do I." Howard yawned.

"You look tired. Why don't you take a nap? I'll wake you up when Mr. Jarvis brings up dinner." 

"We still haven't talked about the fact that you rimmed me without using protection." Howard was slurring his words and his eyes kept sliding shut.

"Sorry," Steve said, not sounding sorry at all.

"Steve, you—" Howard yawned again. "There's a reason why we use protection. You have to promise me you won't do that again."

"Okay." Steve rubbed the back of Howard's neck.

"Promise me, Steve." Howard glared at him half-heartedly.

"Cross my heart. Now sleep."

Howard let out a huff, but closed his eyes anyway. Steve knew they would have a long talk about it later.

*****

Steve sat with Tony at the kitchen island, eating a bowl of Fruit Loops. Every once in awhile, Mr. Jarvis would pass by and give them disapproving looks. Tony didn't seem to care, but Steve stared into his bowl, trying to ignore it. A few minutes later, Mr. Jarvis, with a sigh, put a stack of toast triangles on the counter along with a jar of homemade jam.

Steve looked up and smiled. "Thank you, Mr. Jarvis." 

"Do try to eat a healthy lunch, sir." 

"Hey!" Tony looked up from his bowl. "What about me?"

"I despair of you, Master Anthony."

Steve laughed as Tony protested loudly. He finished his bowl of cereal, rinsed it out in the sink, and put it in the dishwasher, when Howard came bounding in, already dressed in a suit.

"Jarvis! Where the hell are my shoes?" Howard looked perfect, except for the frown on his face and slight tension around his eyes. 

"I just finished shining them, sir. I was just about to bring them up to you." Jarvis walked into the laundry room to retrieve the shoes.

Howard tapped his foot on the floor and looked over at them. Tony was still hunched over his bowl of cereal; Steve walked over and grabbed a slice of toast. "Is that what you're wearing?" Howard asked.

Steve blinked and stared down at himself; he was wearing a pair of Howard's pajama pants, the Pinkie Pie t-shirt Tony bought him for his birthday, and his Killer Rabbit slippers. "Yes, yes, I am." Howard opened his mouth and Steve shoved a piece of toast in it. "Calm down. I wanted to eat breakfast before I changed. We both did." 

"Sir?" Jarvis handed Howard his shoes.

"Thank you." Howard dropped the shoes on the floor and slipped his feet into them, He ate the piece of toast and was reaching for the second one when the doorbell rang; he frowned. "It's too early for Obi." 

Jarvis went to answer the door and Steve knelt down to tie Howard's shoes. "There," he said, rising to his feet. "You look perfect." 

Howard smiled and opened his mouth to speak when the kitchen door swung open and he froze. "Mother!" 

"Howard." She looked around the room, passing over Tony, her eyes lighting on Steve for a moment; her mouth curling into a little sneer before settling on Howard.

"What are you doing here?" Howard's voice went high and he fidgeted slightly.

"I was on my way to a breakfast and I thought I should stop by, wish you luck." She raised an eyebrow.

"Oh. Well, thank you." Howard swallowed hard. "You're not coming to the opening ceremony?"

"No, I have important things to do today."

Steve clenched his jaw as Howard's face flushed.

"That's too bad, Mother." Howard gave a strained smile. "You'll be missed." 

"Mmm. That tie is atrocious, Howard. It makes you look sallow." She narrowed her eyes. "Please remember that this is important, Howard. How you do tonight reflects on our good name. Your father and I will be watching. Do your best not to disappoint us."

"I won't, Mother. I won't disappoint you. Or Dad." 

She made a sound of disapproval before walking over to Tony and kissing his forehead. "You need a haircut, dear."

"Yes, ma'am," Tony said, his face devoid of emotion. 

"I'm sure you'll do fine today, Anthony. You're a much better showman than your father"

Tony smiled, sweetly. "Well, you know how I feel about your good opinion of me, Grandma."

"Would you like to stay for coffee or tea, Mother?" Howard hurried over to Tony's side and put a hand on his shoulder.

"No." She frowned. "As I said, I'm on my way to breakfast."

"Let me walk you to your car, then."

She waved away his suggestion. "I know my way out." Before he could protest, she turned and headed out the door.

Steve let out a sigh of relief and slumped against the island.

Howard stared down at himself and said, "I should change my tie."

"Dad!" Tony shook his head. "You know better than to listen to Grandma." 

Steve knew that wouldn't work. Telling Howard to ignore his mother's comments was like telling Tony not to touch something shiny. Steve walked over and stroked Howard's tie. "I think you look very sexy in this tie." He lowered his voice and leaned in. "Maybe tonight,  
I'll show you how sexy."

Tony made a gagging sound. "If you guys are gonna be gross, I'm leaving." 

Howard smiled and kissed him gently. "That sounds lovely." 

Steve grinned and turned around to grab another piece of toast. 

The door swung open violently and the three of them started in surprise.

"Mom!" Tony grinned and rushed over as Mrs. Stark came into the room.

"Sweetheart." She hugged Tony tightly and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "You look fabulous, kid."

"Oh my God," Howard said. "Is this a nightmare? Am I having a nightmare? If I look down, am I going to be naked?"

Mrs. Stark rolled her eyes. "Jesus, Howard, stop being such a drama queen. Steve, darling, how are you?"

"I'm fine, Mrs. Stark." He rushed over to hug her. "You look great!"

"You, too. My God, what's your mom feeding you?" She kissed his temple and he blushed. "So I take it that Tony didn't tell you I was coming?"

"No." Howard glared at Tony. "He didn't."

"Did you really expect me not to come see my son make his debut? Really?" Mrs. Stark tilted her head and smiled. "So, I thought I saw your mom driving away as I came in. Was she afraid you were building up too much self-esteem, Howard?"

"Shut up." Howard crossed his arms over his chest.

She smiled and looked at Tony. "You're lucky you get your wit from me, kid."

The tension was rising in the room; it made Steve feel jittery. "Would you like some coffee, Mrs. Stark?"

"That would be lovely, Steve." She looked at Howard and frowned. "Is that the tie you're wearing?"

Howard let out a frustrated yell and stormed out of the room; Mrs. Stark laughed. 

*****

"Three point one four one five nine," Howard recited dutifully for the sound check, gaze flickering to Steve, small smile on his face; Steve smiled back. "Pi is an irrational number. It can't be written as the ratio of two integers. It's also a transcendental number—" 

"Hey! How about you recite something that isn't boring all of us to tears," Mrs. Stark said from the front row. "Unless this is what we should expect later?"

"Maria, shut the fuck up," Howard said.

"Come on, baby, sing me a song! I'll show you my tits."

Tony groaned and hid his face in Steve's shirt. "Oh my God. Why couldn't I have been an orphan?"

Steve stroked Tony's hair. "Just be glad your mom doesn't know about you and Annie."

"Shhhh!" Tony patted him frantically. "She'll hear you!"

"I've got a limerick for you." Howard's jaw clenched. "There once was a bi—"

"Mrs. Stark!" Steve shouted, interrupting Howard, and jumped to his feet; Tony fell to the ground in a flail of limbs. "Sorry, Tony. Um, would you like to see the green room, Mrs. Stark? Please? There's alcohol."

She sighed. "Oh, why not." 

*****

Everyone was relaxing in the green room. Mrs. Stark and Annie were talking softly, Stane was on the phone, and he was talking to Tony about which exhibits they wanted to see at the Expo. And Howard…

Alright, almost everyone was relaxing in the green room. 

Howard was sitting in a chair, clutching at the arms, pale and trembling. Steve wanted to go to him, stroke his hair and tell him that everything was going to be wonderful. But Annie was already suspicious and Mrs. Stark didn't know. So Steve just kept giving Howard concerned glances.

"Relax, Steve," Tony said softly. "He's not gonna have an aneurysm. He's just freaking out, like he always does." Tony glanced at his watch, then nudged Steve's shoulder. "Oh, almost fifteen minutes until curtain. Watch what he does when they announce it."

"What happens then?"

"Wait." Tony grinned.

A few minutes later, the door opened and the pretty stage manager poked her head in. "Fifteen minutes until curtain, Mr. Stark."

Howard nodded, lips pressed together.

"Wait for it." Tony leaned back and crossed his arms.

Howard clapped a hand over his mouth, his body heaving once, twice, before he bolted out of the room.

Tony laughed softly and Mrs. Stark shook her head. "Still?"

Steve glared. "It's not funny!" Annie made to get up but Steve waved her away. "I got it." He grabbed the emergency kit he packed for Tony and snagged a bottle of water on his way out. The bathroom was across the hall, so he didn't have far to go. He walked in, locking the door behind him. 

The sound of Howard being violently sick echoed through the bathroom. Steve took out the small bottle of mouthwash from his kit, and a condom, and opened the bottle of water. 

When Howard came out of the stall, he splashed water on his face and rinsed his mouth. Steve handed him the water and mouthwash. "Thanks."

"No problem." Steve gently rubbed his back. "Are you okay?"

"Nerves." Howard gargled with the mouthwash, then sipped the water.

"Are you feeling better?"

"No, not really." Howard took a deep, shaky breath and let it out slowly.

Steve took out the condom. "Let me help you." He pushed Howard back against the door and slid to his knees.

"Steve…"

"I'll make it fast. Promise." Steve undid Howard's pants and drew out his half-hard cock. "Mmm, so pretty."

"Please don’t start talking to it." Howard leaned back against the door and stroked Steve's hair.

"You're right. Not enough time." Steve tugged on Howard's cock until it was nice and hard, then rolled on the condom. "Keep quiet. There are people out there."

Howard groaned, his cock jerking. "I hate you." 

Steve hummed and licked the head. Then he grimaced; ugh, spermicide. He took a deep breath and swallowed Howard's cock, sucking hard and fast, trying to ignore the disgusting taste of the condom. 

"Fuck!" Howard moaned and clutched Steve's shoulders, hips rocking.

He let Howard fuck his face for a while, then bobbed his head, doing his best to get Howard off as fast as he could. 

Howard's breath was harsh and he kept banging his head against the door, but he managed to stifle most of the sounds he usually made when Steve gave him a blowjob. 

Steve used every trick he knew and soon Howard was choking Steve with his cock as he came. It was weirdly not very sexy, but Steve felt pretty good about it anyway. He liked that Howard needed him. He let Howard's cock slip out of his mouth, got rid of the condom, then tucked Howard back in. Then he got up and rinsed out his mouth. "Yuck, my mouth is numb."

"Y-you… What? Why is your mouth numb?" The tension was gone from Howard's voice and he looked pretty relaxed. 

He made a face. "The condom had spermicide on it."

"Why did the condom have spermicide?" Howard adjusted his clothing and checked himself in the mirror.

"Because that's the kind Tony likes to buy." Steve flattened his hair and dusted off his pants.

Howard opened and closed his mouth a few times before shaking his head. "You know what? I don't care." He stroked Steve's cheek. "Thank you for the assist."

"If I was your PA, you'd get blowjobs all the time." Steve leaned in and gave Howard a peck on the mouth.

"There are so many things wrong with that sentence," Howard said, but he was smiling. 

"Yeah, yeah, go back to the green room, bask in the afterglow." 

"Yes, sir." Howard saluted.

After Howard left, he turned back to look at himself in the mirror and did his best to make it look like he *hadn't* just given a blowjob to his boyfriend. When he settled back in his seat a few minutes later, Tony leaned in.

"Do I wanna know what you just did to make Dad so relaxed?"

Steve grinned. "Nope. But I owe you a condom." 

Tony made a face. "You suck."

Steve couldn't help himself; he burst into laughter.

*****

Five minutes until curtain, Howard and Tony were whisked away by the stage manager. The rest of them were allowed to stand and watch in the wings. Excitement thrummed through Steve's body as the lights flashed and the music swelled and the crowd roared with anticipation He bounced on the balls of his feet and exchanged grins with the other three, even Stane.

Then Howard stepped onto the stage and the audience got even louder. Howard froze; Steve could see that he froze. 

"Please, please, please," Steve muttered under his breath. "Move."

Suddenly, Howard smiled and Steve let out a huff of air. "Wow, the last time I got a reception like this, I was in college and, well, let's just say it involved a goat and a keg of beer." And just like that, Howard had the crowd eating out of his hand. 

Steve beamed, his face aching because he was smiling so hard; he never felt more in love with Howard than he did in that moment. He didn't think the opening ceremony could get any better.

He was wrong. 

When Tony stepped on the stage, Steve could feel the energy of the pavilion spike, just from his presence. Howard was amazing, but Tony, Tony knocked it out of the ballpark. He made every single person in the room fall in love with him. 

"My God," Stane said, and Steve turned to look at him. "He's magnificent." The look Stane was giving Tony made Steve's stomach clench, but he couldn't disagree.

*****

"Did you see him? Did you?" Howard asked, his arm slung around Tony's shoulders, grinning madly. "Did you see the way our kid seduced every damn person in this fucking building, Maria?"

"I did," she said, laughing and hugging both of them. 

Tony flushed and Steve could see how happy he was. His parents let him go after a moment, and Steve scooped him up into a big hug. 

"Oof! You're squishing me."

"That's because you're so tiny." Steve smiled. "Great job!"

"I'm not tiny. You're just massive." Tony poked Steve's sides until he let go. "You're breaking my ribs." 

"Big baby." Steve turned and caught Howard's eye. Howard gave him a tight little smile that left Steve aching. He crowded up against Howard, though he knew he shouldn't, and lowered his lashes. "You were fantastic, Mr. Stark."

Howard should have taken a step back, but instead he put his hands on Steve's shoulders. "Thank you, Steve."

Suddenly, Steve was tired of doing the safe thing. He took a deep breath, hugged Howard tightly, and whispered softly in his ear. "I'm so proud of you."

For a moment, Howard hugged back just as fiercely. Then he gently extricated himself from Steve's grip with an awkward laugh that Steve knew was faked. "So, I think we should all go back to my place. I've got a couple of bottles of champagne with our names on it."

"Do you think Dad will let us have some?" Tony asked softly.

Steve grinned. "No, but I bet we can sneak some when they're all drunk and Mr. Jarvis has gone to bed." 

"You mean you're not going to tell me we're too young? I'm disappointed in you." Tony tutted.

"Sometimes you just have to live a little." Steve watched Howard, who was talking to Stane. "And tonight's as good as any. Just as long as my mom doesn’t find out."

Tony snorted, then leaned against Steve's side. "It's gonna be a great summer, Steve, I can feel it."

Steve put an arm around Tony's shoulders. Yeah, he could feel it, too.


End file.
